WASHINGTON, D.C.—In 2009, EPA’s Energy Star Leaders prevented the equivalent of more than 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and saved more than $48 million across their commercial building portfolios. These savings have quadrupled since 2008 and represent the single greatest year of savings since EPA recognized the first Energy Star Leaders in 2004. Over the past five years, Energy Star Leaders are saving money and helping the environment by preventing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the electricity use of nearly 39,000 homes annually. This year’s list of Energy Star leaders includes Accor North America, Columbus...

BALTIMORE—Baltimore’s Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott—blocks from the Inner Harbor—recently received a Special Accomplishment Award from the United States Green Building Council, Maryland Chapter at the group’s fifth annual awards ceremony. The award is the latest in a series of accolades for the hotel. In November, Maryland Governor O’Malley presented the Fairfield Inn & Suites with a sustainable tourism award as part of his announcement of the state’s Green Travel Program, noting, “Baltimore’s first LEED certified hotel has made green practices an integral part of its operation. It has implemented a variety of procedures that promote sustainability, especially for...

DENVER—Denver will soon play host to some of the finest up-and-coming students in the international meetings and incentive travel industry. The Future Leaders Forum will take place in association with the Green Meeting Industry Council Conference (GMIC) Green Meetings 101 on February 9, 2010, at the Sustainable Meetings Conference in Denver. The program, designed and delivered jointly by the IMEX Group—producers of the leading international meetings exhibition—and GMIC, offers gifted young students the opportunity to gain a unique insight into how to develop a successful career in the meetings and incentives travel industry. The focus of this Future Leaders Forum...

SAINT-HYACINTH, QUEBEC—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced that the company’s first sustainable hotel in Canada and the first of its type in Quebec officially opened in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe has been built to meet the criteria of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for its sustainable practices. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe features several key amenities that create a green environment, with a high efficiency energy distribution, ultra-insulated building, and LED and low voltage fluorescent lighting. The property has employed several key factors to reduce...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and the GUESTROOM 20X Task Force, a group of hospitality technology leaders and experts, are searching for the latest and near-future technologies for the newest version of GUESTROOM 20X. The 2010 version of GUESTROOM 20X, a special exhibit showcasing the most innovative technologies for the guestroom, debuts at the 2010 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) June 22 to 24 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. “Since 2006, GUESTROOM 20X has garnered a reputation as providing a thought-provoking glimpse into the possibilities of future guestroom technologies,” said Frank Wolfe,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Experian recently listed its “Top 20 websites in the ‘Travel’ online industry for the month of December 2009, based on visits.” Among those sites—which include such well-known stops as Priceline.com and MapQuest—only three attempt to highlight green hotels. The three include Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia. Travelocity has a Green Hotel Directory that can be accessed through a “Green Travel” link on its home page. Site visitors not only have access to green hotels but also voluntourism opportunities and the option to offset their travel through The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero Program. Orbitz also has its own eco-travel microsite....

SACRAMENTO—Continuing California’s efforts to fight climate change and protect the environment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that the California Building Standards Commission (BSC) unanimously adopted the first-in-the-nation mandatory Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN) requiring all new buildings in the state to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. Taking effect on January 1, 2011, these comprehensive regulations will achieve major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and water use to create a greener California. “With this first-in-the nation mandatory green building standards code, California continues to pave the way in energy efficiency and environmental protection,” Governor Schwarzenegger said. “Today’s...

SAN FRANCISCO—Each year about 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent, making the holiday the second largest day of the year for greeting cards. This year, Joie de Vivre is encouraging lovers to show their affection for each other (and Mother Earth) in a more environmentally conscious way. With free e-cards and a new eco-friendly package, Joie de Vivre is offering romantic indulgences that have less impact on the environment. The new “Sowing the Seeds of Love” eco-romance package lets guests who book a hotel stay at one of Joie de Vivre’s 35 hotels between Jan. 21 and Dec. 15,...

DENVER—The Green Meeting Industry Council’s (GMIC) annual North American conference not only has a new name, the Sustainable Meetings Conference (formerly the Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference), but also a new 2010 conference theme: Scaling It Up! GMIC selected Denver for its natural beauty and, most importantly, for its strong group of committed leaders who strive to make sustainable practices the standard within the meeting and event industry. With facilities such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Renewable Energy Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge restoration, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver and the great...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Drafters of the International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (IGCC) are nearing completion of the first-ever integrated green code for traditional and high-performance commercial buildings, set for a public release in March. “This will be the first time code officials, owners and designers will have an integrated regulatory framework to put into practice that meets the goal of greening the construction and design of new and existing buildings,” according to Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland. “Only a code that is useable, enforceable and adoptable will have the capability of impacting our built environment in dramatic ways.” The IGCC...